


A Rest Stop on the Road to Victory

by KetchupEnthusiast



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Domestic Fluff, M/M, Shop Talk, Sleepiness, Strategy & Tactics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:07:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29525487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KetchupEnthusiast/pseuds/KetchupEnthusiast
Summary: Days ahead of the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, Sheamus and Cesaro compare notes.
Relationships: Antonio Cesaro/Sheamus
Kudos: 9





	A Rest Stop on the Road to Victory

Cesaro sat on the couch in the living room, his eyes laser-focused on the TV screen up on the wall. He'd been planted there since finishing his morning coffee. Late afternoon sunlight was now filtering in through the blinds, casting long crooked streaks across the floor.

Elimination Chamber was coming up on Sunday and Cesaro was fortunate enough to be one of the six participants on the _Smackdown_ side of things. Though maybe 'fortunate' wasn't the right word for it. He'd been putting in the work, keeping his nose to the grindstone while he'd been waiting in the wings. He'd also split from Shinsuke in short order once it became clear that their team wasn't working anymore. It had been a lot of change in a short period of time – painful and awkward, but ultimately rewarding.

He held in his hands a chance to shine, to remind people of what he was capable of as a singles competitor. Cesaro _had_ to grasp this opportunity, he _had_ to be prepared. In his mind, failure just wasn't an option, it couldn't be.

Of course, winning the Chamber match was just the first step, a cutthroat Roman Reigns would be waiting for him at the end of the line. And so to prepare, he'd spent the week re-watching recent episodes of _Smackdown_ , obsessively combing over the footage, focusing on something different every time. Unfortunately, he'd done so at the expense of his sleep schedule, which wasn't the wisest move just days ahead of a big match.

Sheamus entered the living room, fresh from a post-workout shower. He spotted the Swiss man in his now familiar spot on the couch and let out an annoyed groan, “are you still at it? You've been doing this for days now, Tony. What else are you hoping to find?”

“Something, anything. Potential reversals. Ways out of submission holds. A weakness that I haven't picked up on yet. You know, you should be planning for your match, too,” the bald man admonished, as his partner came around to sit next to him on the couch. The redhead plucked the remote from Cesaro's hand and paused the video that was playing on the screen in front of them.

"I've already got my strategy figured out for Sunday," Sheamus confidently stated, chest puffing out a little.

"Oh, really? Mind telling me about it?" though the Swiss man was in a separate match for a completely different brand, he was still curious.

"Well, for starters, I'm in the catbird seat, the last entrant in. That alone provides me with a HUGE advantage," Sheamus smirked to himself, unbearably smug, "Styles will be without his Ace in the Hole, he's going to be screwed without Omos to watch his back. I've proven before that I can get into Jeff's head and I won't hesitate to do it again. His high risk style backfires as often as it succeeds, so he may end up taking himself out of the match. I've gone toe-to-toe with Orton enough times to know what to expect. On top of that, he's got his mind on other things right now, namely Alexa Bliss and The Fiend. And going against The New Day so many times has taught me all I need to know about Kofi. I'm going to keep him grounded and watch out for Woods if he's at cage-side. So... that just leaves Drew..." Sheamus trailed off.

"Well? What are you going to do about Drew?" Cesaro prodded.

"You don't know a man for two decades without figuring out what makes him tick," Sheamus settled back into the couch, pulling Cesaro along with him, "I'm going to expose every single flaw in his game and trust me, there are plenty to choose from. I'm going to use all of his weaknesses against him. Even worse, I'm going to run the emotional gambit on him. That is, after we've taken everybody else out of the match."

The bald man nodded, accepting what Sheamus had laid out in front of him. He had to admit, the strategy seemed solid. His thoughts then turned back to his own match, "I think I'm pretty set with my game plan, but I could always use a fresh pair of eyes," Cesaro gestured to the TV, where the match that he'd been reviewing was still paused.

"If you're lucky, Sami will get brought in early, that will fuel his paranoia and leave him ripe for the picking. Plus, if he and Kevin are in there at the same time, they'll probably go after each other and you won't have to worry about them at all. Then again, Kevin and Jey might butt heads, too, since Jey's been Roman's errand boy these past few months. Slow Jey down, let Kevin tire himself out, and you'll be golden. You already know how to handle Daniel Bryan – don't try to out-wrestle him, use the strength and size difference to your advantage... or try hitting him with a Brogue Kick when he's not looking. That seemed to work pretty well for me at Wrestlemania," Sheamus let out of a big belly laugh at his joke, Cesaro just rolled his eyes at his partner's "humor".

"Anyway, I think Corbin's the one you're actually going to have to worry about," The Celtic Warrior concluded.

"Corbin? Really?" Cesaro's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"I mean, he _is_ sorta the wild card in your match. It's hard to get a read on him," Sheamus shrugged.

Cesaro thought about this for a moment and realized that Sheamus had a point. Still... "Baron Corbin? The same Baron Corbin who dresses up in a silly crown and cape every week on _Smackdown_?"

"Hey, don't underestimate him. He's agile for a guy his size. Plus, he's obviously willing to play dirty to get what he wants," Sheamus argued.

"Reminds me of a certain Irishman I know," the Swiss Cyborg teased, his mouth curling up into a naughty curve.

"Well, it _does_ take a king to know a king," Sheamus grinned back, "anyway, enough talking shop. You've got Sunday in the bag and so do I."

With their discussion finished, the two men sat in comfortable silence, enjoying one another's company. Cesaro pillowed his head on his partner's shoulder, eyes sliding closed as he heard the familiar scritch of Sheamus' fingertips running across the stubble on his scalp, tracing random patterns against his skin. All those hours of missed sleep were starting to catch up with him now. He'd almost nodded off completely before he heard the rumble of that warm Irish accent just above his head.

"Y'know, the Universal Title is going to look great on you," Sheamus purred low and smooth, sliding his hand over Cesaro's abdomen, "that first time... that's really something special, Tony."

"Easy for you to say, Mr. Four-Time World Champion," Cesaro tried to stifle a yawn, but failed miserably, "though after Sunday, I suppose it will be Mr. Five-Time World Champion, won't it?"

" I suppose so,” the redhead curled in closer, “still, I can't wait to see that belt around your waist."

Another blanket of silence fell over them. Sheamus' fingers started moving on Cesaro's scalp again as the television's screensaver finally kicked on.

"Remember the first time we won the tag titles?" Cesaro broke the quiet this time, his voice was hazy with tiredness.

"Roadblock. I'll never forget it," Sheamus could practically feel the memory in his bones as it came flooding back in his mind. What a great night that had been. The rush of finally reaching the mountaintop together, the disappointment on The New Day's faces after they realized that they'd been beaten at their own game, finally feeling like he and Cesaro were on the same page after months of bickering and coming up short.

"I remember you getting so mad at me for jumping on you at the entranceway," Cesaro chuckled, nuzzling his face against Sheamus' shirt.

"Well, I didn't expect 230 pounds to come flying into my arms at full speed," Sheamus groused, though he was smiling through his words, "and to think, I used to give out about that. Now look at me, I can't keep my hands off of you."

Cesaro hummed in agreement, his eyes shuttered closed again. He was fading fast. It didn't help that Sheamus' fingertips were still sliding over his scalp or that he was pressed up this close, so warm and comfortable.

 _Just a cat nap_ , Cesaro thought to himself, _I'll rest my eyes for... a few minutes. Then, I'll … get back... to review...ing the... mat...ches._

Not long after that idea had crossed his mind, The Swiss Cyborg was out like a light.

“You know I-” the redhead started to say before he looked down at Cesaro, who was now softly snoring into his chest. The Celtic Warrior smiled to himself, “well, c'mon then.”

Sheamus gently scooped up all 230 pounds of Cesaro and carried him to the bedroom. This time, the Irishman didn't complain.


End file.
